


Lost Shaker of Salt

by RA_of_Light



Series: Richard and Alice [2]
Category: Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, RPF, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RA_of_Light/pseuds/RA_of_Light
Summary: Richard is trying to get ready for a networking event and is struggling with what to wear, thankfully his girlfriend Alice is there to help





	Lost Shaker of Salt

Richard stood in front of the full length mirror and huffed very loudly, knowing he would be heard through the thin walls of the bedroom.

“Can’t I just wear a t-shirt and jeans?” he grumbled

Alice was at the desk in her study, she looked up from the laptop and her work as Richard complained from next door. She rolled her eyes upwards and yelled back firmly;

“No!”

“Harumph!” was the loud grumpy reply

She sighed, pushed back her chair with her feet against the desk and got up. She popped her head round the bedroom door and was greeted by the pleasant sight of her beloved standing there in only a pair of black boxers with his back to her. He truly was a delightful sight at 6ft 2” with lovely toned long legs, a trim tummy and strong arms. She giggled and mumbled ‘hmm peaches’ under her breath which made him look round when he heard her voice asking what she’d said.

“Nothing, my dear!”  She giggled again “Anyway you, let’s get real. You’re going to pre-theatre awards dinner, so you can’t just go casual!”

He grimaced at her and Alice looked at him smiling and in a consolatory tone said;

“Come on, let’s have a look what’s in the wardrobe and get you into something appropriate”

“Ok, I guess” he huffed and pouted, slouching slightly.

Alice took his hand and dragged him over to the wardrobe and started shuffling through his piles of suits shoved in it.

“What about this natty piece?” she asked, pulling out a blue suit which had a slight sheen to it.

“Urgh! No!” he grimaced again “Too far out, I’m really not in the mood to be centre of attention”

Alice raised her eyebrows at him “Ok, so something more subtle?” She pulled suits along the railing in the massive cupboard, which accommodated his huge array of clothes. She fingered them one by one, unzipping the bags they were in and making little noises of indecision as she looked at the various colours, feeling the textures along the way.

“How about this one? Navy….ooh! Prada!” She said as she eyed the label, she turned and showed it to him with an anticipatory look on her face

“I guess it’s ok…I’ve worn it a few times though” he replied, contemplating the reasonable suggestion.

“Well, how about you try in on, love?” Alice said gently rubbing her face with her hand.

Richard leaned over her, pulled the suit from the wardrobe and took it out of its protective bag. He stepped into the trousers, grabbed a white shirt and put the jacket on. He shuffled his shoulders and realised it was hanging badly.

“Damn!” he moaned “I’m not as bulky as I was a few years ago”. Alice looked at him and could see the jacket was hanging off his shoulders just a little bit too much.

“Ok, no worries! Let’s find something else” she said chirpily as she could feel his stress levels rising.

Richard started to feel dispirited, despite Alice’s best efforts and he sat down on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. After a moment, he looked up slightly, gazing through his long eyelashes and said:

“Can I at least wear black?”

Alice was also getting a bit weary at this point and replied:

“You can, but you do always wear black!”

“Well, it’s my favourite colour!” he countered “And if I wear black, then I’m less likely to get noticed”

Alice laughed at this suggestion as she imagined his arrival at the event;

“Richard, you are one of the most handsome men on this planet! People are always going to notice you, whether you like it or not!”

Richard looked up at Alice and huffed again, he couldn’t understand the fuss about his looks-yeah he was tall and in shape but he couldn’t see in the mirror what his followers and agents were on about.

Alice saw the dismay in his face and went over to the bed, sat down next to him and slipped her arm around his waist and gave him a big squeeze.

“Ok, let’s look for something in your favourite shade” she smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on his cheek which was beautifully smooth from his earlier grooming session.

“How about this one?” Alice asked as she pulled out a natty 3 piece black suit.

Richards’s eyes brightened as he took a good look at the suit Alice was holding in her hands.

“That should do the job!” he said perking up “And I could wear a black shirt with it as well”

Alice replied “Ok, but I insist on there being one concession to colour! How about, we put a nice blue handkerchief in that top pocket?”

“Just for you my love” Richard conceded, he was at least cheered by having made a decision that he was pretty happy with.

In fact his heart was starting to burst just a tiny bit because of Alice. Previously he’d had to use stylists for big events, and whilst they dressed him fashionably, he never felt 100% comfortable with their choices. Whereas this lady, his lady, his Alice was the best stylist he had because she knew him, she knew his moods and knew how to make him look good whilst letting him stay in his comfort zone.

She left him to get changed and five minutes later he waltzed cheerily into her study and leaned against the door frame with his legs crossed and arms outstretched “Ta da!” he grinned.

Her heart skipped as she saw him dressed head to toe in black, looking delectable. It was moments like this where she couldn’t believe she was going out with this stunning man. He was beautiful, both inside and out. She’d had problems in previous relationships with partners making demands on her time when she was deep in research-but that was never a problem with Richard as he was quite often deep in research himself!

She got up and walked over to him, her eyes shining with delight. She gave him the once over, looking him up and down. She patted his chest and gave his tie a slight adjustment. She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes, grinning happily and told him;

“Rich, you looking fucking gorgeous”

The left side of his mouth pushed upwards into a small sly smile and he replied “You reckon so?”

“Oh yes, indeed “Alice said nodding whilst still staring deep into his eyes. She moved up on her toes and gave him a gentle kiss on his silky lips. He pulled her in to him and kissed her deeply in return.  He broke the kiss after a minute and breathlessly said;

”Do I definitely have to go? I’d rather stay here with you”

Alice smiled softly at him;

“Yes, my darling anti socialite, you absolutely have to go”

Richard did a small pout, pushing his bottom lip out “How about you come with me?” and waggled his eyebrows in pretend seduction.

“Hah! No chance matey! You don’t need me there, and I would just be in the way” Alice wasn’t being shy, it just wasn’t her idea of a fun night out.

He pouted again; she was right and quite honestly he knew that she would hate being there as much as he did, but it was his work so he didn’t have much option.

“Well, I’ll bring you back something.” He declared laughing “I’ll steal a salt shaker or something!”

Alice laughed and sighed at the same time and shook her head at her silly sweet man and waved him off.

It was approximately 2am when Richard pushed the key in the front door. He carefully twisted the handle and gently closed the door behind him very slowly, so to not make any noise. He’d already taken his tie off in the taxi and unbuttoned his jacket, waistcoat and the top of his shirt. It was always a relief to finally relax after an evening being on show. It was part of his job, he knew that, he knew he had to get out there and show his face and make sure the right people remembered he was still an active actor. But it was a chore; it wasn’t an enjoyable part of his profession but he knew it was necessary.  He much preferred all the creativity of building up his characters and the actual performance to networking.

He slipped his shoes off to try and reduce any noise he would make going upstairs. It was bad enough leaving Alice behind to go to these functions ,so the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her when he got back.

Gently walking up the wooden stairs, he nipped to the bathroom and gave his teeth a quick brush and slipped off the rest of his clothes and draped them on the chair next to the bath.

Walking back into the hallway he could hear Alice’s soft breathing as the bedroom door was ajar.  The hall light glanced through the crack in the door across her sleeping face. She always looked cute, even when she was sleeping with her mouth open, face smothered into the pillow with her hair straggled round her face. He noticed her legs were exposed when he entered the room, so gently moved the bed covers over her. He then carefully got into bed next to her from his side, not even putting on the bedside lamp for concern of waking her. At first he resisted touching her, as he knew that cuddling up would probably disturb her slumber.  But his side was chilly; he could feel the warmth emanating from her body and seeing the gentle rise of her chest made her just irresistible. He felt a bit naughty, but still slid over and snuggled into her back and gave her a big bear hug.

‘Mmmnh’ Alice sighed in her half sleep state in response to his warm intrusion.

Richard breathed quietly into her ear “’Sorry hun, I just missed you tonight”

Alice turned over and sleepily half opened her eyes, looking at his face in the dark shadows of the room, she smiled seeing his loving face looking so intently at her.

“S’alright love” she mumbled and then she snuggled right into him so his chest hairs tickled her nose. Richard pulled Alice in tighter and revelled in her soft warm body and kissed the top of her head breathing in the smell of her hair.

“Hey,“ she mumbled into his chest, “ Where‘s that salt shaker you promised me?“

Richard chuckled. “I got one for you, I promise, but when I checked my pockets in the bathroom just now, I couldn’t find it. I must have lost it in the car. “

“Right,“ Alice snorted, knowing full well he would never steal anything, joke or no. “i forgive you,“ she yawned and went straight back into her slumber.

“Love you” he said sweetly as he also fell asleep.


End file.
